A Russian court has determined that Evan Gershkovich will remain in Moscow’s Lefortovo prison until August 30. The decision comes after the journalist appealed against the extention of a pre-trial detention.
Gershkovich appeared in the courtroom in a transparent box. The Wall Street Journal reported that media outlets were only allowed in the courtroom for a short time.
On May 23, a district court in Russia upheld a request from the Federal Security Service (FSB) to have the journalist’s detention extended while awaiting trial. Gershkovich’s lawyers appealed the decision. This comes after an initial appeal was made in April that would have seen Gershkovich under house arrest while awaiting trial, but that, too, was struck down.
Gershkovich’s parents were present at the hearing, standing next to the transparent box. Ella Milman and Mikhail Gershkovich spoke with their son before the hearing started. The WSJ reported that Milman said that it was important to see her son in person and let him know that they are on his side.
“I want to scream and say ‘Give me back my son,’” Milman said. “It’s very hard, but I will be there smiling. I will be smiling for Evan, and they are not going to see my tears.”
Gershkovich’s parents left the Soviet Union in 1979 to settle in the US. However, they decided to travel to Moscow for the hearing.
The journalist, though accredited by Russia’s Foreign Ministry to work as a reporter, was detained by agents from the FSB in Yekaterinburg on March 29. The allegations against him include espionage, but the WSJ and the US government deny these accusations.
The report noted that it could be several months before Gershkovich is brought to trial. Under Russian law, prosecutors and investigators have a lot of room to request extensions. Almost all Russian trials that involve espionage end in a guilty verdict, and a conviction reportedly carries up to 20 years in prison.
American journalist Bari Weiss posted to Twitter: “Free Evan Gershkovich.”
It appears that the only way for Gershkovich to be released from Russian custody is through a prisoner swap. In December 2022, President Joe Biden agreed to a prisoner swap that included American WNBA star Brittney Griner and Viktor Bout, who is known as the "Merchant of Death."
The Biden adminstration had an opportunity to free Paul Whelan, a former Marine, who has been in a Russian prison since 2018 after being charged with espionage. However, it is uncertain who the Biden administration would choose to release between Whelan and Gershkovich if the occasion arose.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed that prisoner swaps are possible, given that Moscow and Washington came come to agreements.
Gershkovich continues to maintain his innocence.
